Practice Sustainability in Jackson Hole

1. Where to Stay

Dive into the lap pool at Amangani.Photo: Courtesy of Aman Resorts

Get guilt-free green comfort at Hotel Terra (from $199), the town’s first LEED-certified lodgings, where the sleek, minimalist design comes from recycled materials and the roof shingles are made from old tires. The designation, for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” is bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Scrub with sustainable seaweed products in the spa or donate a percentage of your roommate rate to nature-enhancement products at the Four Seasons (from $695). The sheets are still Egyptian cotton and the service is beyond reproach, but you might see a moose wandering into the driveway.

Do laps at 7,000 feet in the Olympic-size outdoor pool at Amangani (from $875), which means “peaceful home” in Shoshoni. The mid-level vista from your room offers views of both the mountains and the wildflower-dotted valley below.

2. Where to Eat

Pull up a stool at Q Roadhouse.Photo: Courtesy of Q Roadhouse

Q Roadhouse smokes its own meat in-house using hybrid fuel and wood. Many ingredients are organic or locally sourced, but the peanut shells on the floor and vintage photos maintain the old-school-BBQ vibe.

Hunt for fossils at Trio, where the slate bar was excavated from nearby prehistoric sites. The bistro menu is a little more contemporary, and one of the chefs is a La Grenouille alum.

If you can’t afford a night at the Four Seasons, dinner at the hotel’s Westbank Grill is an accessible alternative. The $44 four-course, paired prix fixe dinner is the best recession special in town.

3. What to Do

Get a birds-eye view on the aerial tram. Photo: Courtesy of jacksonhole.com

Sightsee on two wheels to reduce your carbon footprint along the new (as of last month) Grand Teton Multi-Use Pathway, a mostly flat eight-mile strip that runs from Moose to Jenny Lakes. Rent a bike from Adventure Sports ($10/hour, $32/day) at the start of the path and spend the afternoon rubbernecking red-tailed hawks, ground squirrels, yellow-bellied marmots, or even a rare white raven.

Hike along the well-maintained trails of the Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve, a choice slice of the Grand Teton National Park rededicated for public use last year. Get maps and info at the LEED-certified visitor center at the entrance to the park. Beginners can try a 90-minute round-trip walk to Phelps Lake and then eat a picnic lunch.

The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Aerial Tramway ($18) is like a twelve-minute, stomach-churning, real-time Imax movie. Bring a coat (no matter how warm it is on the ground) and marvel at the mountain huts, craggy cliffs, thrilling drops, and still-icy caps of the Tetons. Stop for a made-to-order waffle at Corbet’s Cabin, located at the summit dock of Rendezvous Mountain (altitude 10,450 feet).

4. Insider’s Tip

Dine outside at Dornan's.Photo: Courtesy of Dornan’s

Skip the tourist-heavy chuckwagon buffet at Dornan’s in favor of picking up a bottle at the extensive wine store on site. Find a door marked “Top Deck” to the right of the restaurant’s bar register and drink outside with the Tetons in your face.

5. Oddball Day

Outside the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, left, and inside the Silver Dollar, right.Photo: Courtesy of Wyoming Travel & Tourism

Just because Jackson Hole is embracing sustainable ecology doesn’t mean that its Western-frontier past is forgotten. Play cowboy for a day at Baggit, where you’ll find deerskin formal gowns, turquoise-adorned off-the-shoulder tops, and rhinestone-studded jeans. Enter a watermelon-seed-spitting contest or eat a pie on horseback at the Teton County Fair (July 18–26). In the evening, watch little kids try to catch a calf and adults hold on to bulls at the Jackson Hole Rodeo (Wed, Sat at 8 p.m. Memorial Day–Labor Day). Get a late steak dinner at the Million Dollar Cowboy Steak House and finish at the upstairs bar—the largest outlet for single-barrel whiskey in the Northwest. Drink enough and you might even get up the nerve to try two-stepping. If not, repair to the Stagecoach Bar (5755 W Hwy 22, 307-733-4407), where old-timers will show you how it’s done every Sunday night.

6. Links

JHNews and Guide has up-to-date information on the latest happenings around the city.

JacksonHole.net gives deep discounts on summer-splash activities and tram admissions when you buy a package.

The Grand Teton National Park has its own blog, which posts information, news, and events.

Practice Sustainability in Jackson Hole